Overview
- Hundreds filled a City Council meeting as roughly 200 people also rallied at City Hall to demand answers and reject local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- Cellphone video from Jan. 19 shows an Alhambra police SUV cutting off driver Angelica Vargas before masked federal agents approached and asked her about her citizenship.
- Police say they responded to a call about a vehicle being followed with traffic violations, positioned their SUV to de-escalate, confirmed no immigration enforcement was occurring, and cleared the scene within five minutes.
- The department says it had no prior knowledge of federal agents in the city and maintains compliance with California’s SB 54 limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.
- Mayor Jeff Maloney said the encounter is under review and noted no arrests were made, while Vargas’ attorney Luis Carrillo requested an internal affairs probe and is evaluating legal options.